Making Film in Egypt : How Labor, Technology, and Mediation Shape the Industry

Chihab El Khachab

ISBN 10: 9774169859 / ISBN 13: 9789774169854

Published by American University In Cairo Press Mär 2021, 2021

About this Item

Neuware - An ethnographic study of the Egyptian film industry The enormous influence of the Egyptian film industry on popular culture and collective imagination across the Arab world is widely acknowledged, but little is known about its concrete workings behind the scenes. Making Film in Egypt provides a fascinating glimpse into the lived reality of commercial film production in today's Cairo, with an emphasis on labor hierarchies, production practices, and the recent transition to digital technologies. Drawing on in-depth interviews and participant observation among production workers, on-set technicians, and artistic crew members, Chihab El Khachab sets out to answer a simple question: how do filmmakers deal with the unpredictable future of their films The answer unfolds through a journey across the industry's political economy, its labor processes, its technological infrastructure, its logistical and artistic work, and its imagined audiences. The result is a complex and nuanced portrait of the Arab world's largest film industry, rich in ethnographic detail and theoretical innovations in media anthropology, media studies, and Middle East anthropology.

Seller Inventory # 9789774169854

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Making Film in Egypt : How Labor, Technology, and Mediation Shape the Industry
• Publisher: American University In Cairo Press Mär 2021
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9774169859
• ISBN 13: 9789774169854
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 231W x 157H x 28D millimeters 231 millimeters width by 157 millimeters height by 28 millimeters depth
• Weight: 544 grams

About this title

Synopsis

An ethnographic study of the Egyptian film industry

The enormous influence of the Egyptian film industry on popular culture and collective imagination across the Arab world is widely acknowledged, but little is known about its concrete workings behind the scenes. Making Film in Egypt provides a fascinating glimpse into the lived reality of commercial film production in today’s Cairo, with an emphasis on labor hierarchies, production practices, and the recent transition to digital technologies. Drawing on in-depth interviews and participant observation among production workers, on-set technicians, and artistic crew members, Chihab El Khachab sets out to answer a simple question: how do filmmakers deal with the unpredictable future of their films? The answer unfolds through a journey across the industry’s political economy, its labor processes, its technological infrastructure, its logistical and artistic work, and its imagined audiences. The result is a complex and nuanced portrait of the Arab world’s largest film industry, rich in ethnographic detail and theoretical innovations in media anthropology, media studies, and Middle East anthropology.

About the Author

Chihab El Khachab is a Junior Research Fellow in Anthropology in Christ Church, University of Oxford.